


Rose's Christmas Carol (Part II)

by TiliaofAnkh



Series: Rose's Christmas Carol [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 09:18:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8280679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiliaofAnkh/pseuds/TiliaofAnkh
Summary: Part II of my short Doctor-Who series - The Doctor and Rose finally reunite.





	

Part II

The Doctor thought he might break as he saw her standing there, face turned away from him, by the window looking out into the garden.  
Her name escaped his lips in a whisper but it felt loud enough to be a scream. And it tumbled off his lips a second time when she suddenly started moving and he felt his legs carry him in her direction, and suddenly he was running towards her and all the times he's been running in the past year suddenly get clear because really, he'd always been running back to her.  
Her name felt like a prayer on his lips when she stopped and reached out a hand, lips agape in awe and glistening with tears. No words came over them as she moved them, soundlessly repeating the same words from the goddamn beach.  
'Can I t-'

"Rose.", he breathed again and hungrily scanned her face with eager eyes, taking it all in and it broke his hearts a second time when he realised how broken she looked. It devastated him how much she matched him.  
And yet he couldn't wipe the broad grin off of his face and his sight blurred when her fingers brushed his cheek.

Rose choked back a sob and instead of pulling her hand back, she took his face in both of her hands.  
"Oh God, oh God, it's you.", she sobbed and he nodded thickly, still grinning under her trembling touch.

"Yeah - yes, it's me." His voice broke.  
God, his voice.  
Rose's eyes plunged into his and the Doctor felt like drowning, it had been too long, too damn long and the smile blossoming on her lips was all the validation he needed.

The Doctor pulled her close in the same moment that Rose flung her arms around him and then both were trembling, melting against each other.  
Minutes could have passed, whole eternities, for all they could care. Time stood still and all the Doctor heard was the erratic beating of their joined heartbeats and the sound of her breathless sobs into his neck. He hadn't stopped whispering her name over and over again and clutched her even tighter to him.  
And then Rose pulled back, only so much so she could look at his face and couldn't stop grinning. The Doctor's own eyes were red and still wet from tears and slowly, Rose raised her hands and gently wiped away the stray tears.  
The Doctor let out a breathless chuckle and couldn't quite believe his luck.  
Rose continued stroking his cheek and finally managed to whisper:

"I missed you."  
His voice was rasp and thick from tears, a rough whisper when he spoke.

"Quite right, too.", he offered and both chuckled at the irony.

"How long?", Rose asked quietly and smiled when now the Doctor reached out to gently wipe away her tears, his fingers so soft and careful as if he was afraid she might break under his hands.

"Two years.", he told her, not quite finding his voice yet.  
Rose's heart was still drumming violently and she wondered if she would ever catch her breath. Her fingers slowly brushed down his face and rested on the pinstriped lapels of his suit. A trembling smile grew on her lips as she stroked her hands over the ever same material, and it felt like nothing had changed.

"Two and a half.", she told him then, meeting his eyes again.  
She almost gasped when the intensity of his stare hit her. The Doctor looked at her and cracked a light, apologetic smile, feeling new tears rise in his throat at her words, at hearing how long he had left her here.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it ealier."  
His voice was quiet, almost inaudible and Rose leaned closer as he leant down, his breath prickling on her skin and it felt like home when she rested her forehead against his.

"Why now?", she asked after a while, searching his eyes again, her hand finding his scruffy cheek again.  
The Doctor smiled like he hadn't in a long, long time now.

"Consider it a Christmas present."  
For a moment, they just stared at each other.  
And then Rose laughed. It bubbled up in her chest and then burst out of her, leaving her breathless and she startes crying again because there were too many emotions at once and the Doctor joined in with a breathless, happy, disbelieving chuckle as Rose buried her head in his chest, muffling her laughter and soon her sobs. Smiling sadly, he pressed a lingering kiss on the crown of her hair and wrapped his arms around her, holding her steady against him as she cried.  
Rose didn't even know why she was crying. But she felt overwhelmed with everything and now he gave her a stupid answer like that. God, how she had missed this. How she'd missed him.

"Rose?", she heard the Doctor mumble into her hair after some time when she'd calmed down again.  
She hummed against his chest, hiding her teary smile in his oxford.  
The Doctor rested his face on her head and closed his eyes, breathing her in.

"I love you.", he finally told her with a smile and he felt so, so relieved.  
The words barely left his mouth when Rose froze in his arms.  
Slowly, she pulled back. Stared at him with wide, still tear - stained eyes. And for a moment she thought she hadn't quite heard him.

"Say that again.", she requested numbly, her voice a mere whisper.  
A slow smile spread on the Doctor's face and he lowered his head to whisper into her ear:

"Rose Tyler ... I love you."  
He pulled back, his smile never faltering. Rose closed her eyes, her face suddenly just a few inches away from his.

"Again", she whispered and without wasting another breath, the Doctor gently grabbed her face with both of his hands and closed the gap between them and kissed her. Softly first and ever-so-slow, but then her soft lips started moving against his and Rassilon, he felt himself lose control. His hands wandered down to her shoulders, roaming them as she fisted her hands in his hair and a sigh escaped his lips when she partened her lips.  
Instinctively, Rose wrapped her arms around his neck as the Doctor pulled her to him by the waist, drawing her closer still and she would have lost her balance had she not held on to his neck.

"Again", she breathed against his lips as they both gasped for air and the Doctor smirked, his eyes still closed.  
Rose escaped a chuckle as he started to pepper her face with kisses, repeating the same three words between each kiss.  
When he reached her lips he ran a thumb across them and slowly pressed his lips on them again, suddenly tasting salt. Surprised, he pulled back and discovered her crying, still smiling.  
With a soft, loving smile he brushed a thumb across both of her cheeks, so relieved to finally being able to do this, the feeling of desperation when he couldn't that day at the beach still lingering inside of him.

"Something went wrong, don't you think?", he whispered hoarsely. "All I did today so far was making you cry."  
Rose chuckled and shook her head, leaning back into him.

"'s alright.", she mumbled and sniffed a little. After a pause she looked back up at him. The Doctor felt one of his hearts skip a beat when she gave him one of his beloved signature grins, tongue poking out between teeth that alone made him feel like he could fly without a TARDIS. "I can give you one or two ideas of how to make it up to me."  
He hummed happily and pulled her back against him.

"Mhh, I'm listening."

"Well, first, you could consider having a Plus One.", she replied, almost casually and the Doctor grinned brightly.

"Oh, you can count on that, Rose Tyler.", he breathed and released her from his arms, taking a small step back, her eyes on him the entire time. "But first ..."  
He grinned and offered her a hand.  
"Let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> Please be so kind and leave me some feedback!


End file.
